Journal of Dental Research, Vol 71, 1895-1900, Copyright © 1992 by International & American Associations for Dental Research Online Journals
The effect of chewing gum use on in situ enamel lesion remineralization
S. L. Creanor, R. Strang, W. H. Gilmour, R. H. Foye, J. Brown, D. A. Geddes and A. F. Hall
Oral Biology Group, University of Glasgow Dental School, Scotland, United Kingdom.
Two independent cross-over studies investigated the possibility of enhanced
early enamel lesion remineralization with the use of chewing gum. The first
study involved a sorbitol-containing chewing gum, and the second, which had
an identical protocol, tested a sucrose-containing chewing gum. In each
study, 12 volunteers wore in situ appliances on which were mounted enamel
sections containing artificial caries lesions. Subjects brushed twice daily
for two min with a 1100-ppm-F (NaF) dentifrice (control and test) and in
the test phase chewed five sticks of gum per day for 20 min after meals and
snacks. Microradiographs of the enamel lesions were made at baseline and at
the end of the seven-week experimental period. In the sugar-free gum study,
the weighted mean total mineral loss (delta z) difference [(wk7-wk0) x
(-1)] was 788 vol.% min. x micron for the gum, corresponding to
remineralization of 18.2%, vs. the control value of 526 vol.% min. x
micron, 12.1% remineralization (p = 0.07). There were no significant
differences for the surface-zone (p = 0.20) and lesion-body (p = 0.28)
values. In the sucrose-containing gum study, the delta z difference was 743
vol.% min. x micron for the gum, corresponding to a remineralization of
18.3%, vs. the control value of 438 vol.% min. x micron, 10.8%
remineralization (p = 0.08). The surface-zone values were not significantly
different (p = 0.55). For the lesion body, however, the sucrose-containing
gum value of 6.11 vol.% min. was significantly different (p = 0.01) from
that of the control (2.81 vol.% min.).
